A Screwed Up Story
by nicjmartin
Summary: A fairly old story about Gai killing himself and then Lee's suddenly in the real world... one of my favs. Should be done as soon as I find the notebook I wrote the rest in. GaiLee, AU, future SakuLee sort of. Title to change, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Sensei!" Lee called, banging on his door.

He hadn't seen Gai for a day or so. He was worried, so he had come to check on him.

He banged on the door, harder this time, "GAI!" He was getting desperate… and scared.

"Dynamic Entry!" he yelled and collapsed Gai's door.

He walked in, hoping Gai wouldn't be mad at him for breaking his door.

"Sensei?" he called out.

The bitter silence sent a shiver down his spine.

"Stay calm… he must have just gone shopping… yeah! That is it!" Lee said to himself, but to be sure, he walked over to Gai's refrigerator and opened it. It was full.

He gasped, took a deep breath, and headed toward Gai's room.

The second he stepped in the door, he screamed. His scream grew into a tormented cry and he collapsed on the ground.

Gai had committed suicide. He was dead.

Lee sensed countless people walk by and soon the police came.

He could tell they were probably talking to him, but he was curled up, in a ball, on the floor of his idol's house, crying in his own little world. Nothing seemed real, but as desperately as he wished it wasn't, it was. He could reject it all he wanted, but Gai was dead and that was a fact: a fact that just couldn't be overlooked.

He tried to move, but his body wouldn't. He tried to listen, but his ears refused. He tried to talk, but his mouth wouldn't form words. He wanted to look and see what was happening, but his eyes stayed shut. His body was shutting itself down and isolating itself into a universe full of nothingness. It was scary.

After what seemed like forever, floating in that pitch black darkness, he woke up. He was at the hospital… so it had been real...

Lee was surprised at how calm he was. Gai, his sensei, mentor, and idol had just committed suicide, but he was perfectly calm.

Then he grabbed his chart. It all made sense. They had injected him with a drug about a half an hour earlier. He put his chart back and lied down again.

A little while later, a doctor came in with a clipboard, staring at it and mumbling things.

"Oh! You're awake!" he said suddenly, "Here, I was supposed to give this to you… it was found at the scene of the suicide of Maito Gai." He handed Lee an envelope with his name on it.

Lee recognized the handwriting. It was Gai's suicide note.

The doctor left and Lee sat for a moment, thinking.

He didn't want to open it. Not yet. Not until the last stage of his plan.

He put the envelope in his pocket and started to get up. He looked down at his zori. The ends of them were stained with Gai's blood.

Lee cringed at the thought and decided against wearing them.

He smiled a little at his own foolishness, "It is not like I will need them anymore."

He left the room and went downstairs toward the exit.

"Hey, where are you going?" the receptionist asked.

"I am not sure." Lee replied simply and left.

He received the same question from countless others, all to which he replied the same.

Then Neji and TenTen stopped him.

By their expressions, Lee could tell they had heard about Gai.

"So you heard about sensei, huh?" TenTen asked.

Lee didn't reply.

"You should probably be wearing your zori you know." Neji commented.

"I no longer need them." Lee replied. His voice was sharp, piercing, and almost demonic.

"Where are you going?" TenTen asked.

Lee, finally fed up with the question, simply stated, "To Hell, probably."

"Oh, wait! You don't mean—"

Lee began walking again, feeling emotionless.

TenTen and Neji called after him, but Lee ignored the sound.

He did eventually stop… as soon as he got the top of the Hokage Faces.

He jumped up to the top Tsunade's head and looked down. It was a good ways until the ground.

He smiled to himself. He no longer felt any regret. No guilt; no pain. He was going to die. And it felt good.

Then he remembered Gai's suicide note. He took out the envelope and took the note from inside it.

He read it, half out loud, to himself. It read:

"Hey Lee,

If you're reading this, then I guess my attempt in suicide worked… but you need to know a few things… first of all, don't get the wrong idea about what happened and don't do anything to yourself… please.

The second thing is… well… I want you to know why I did what I did…"

Lee noticed the writing was getting a bit shaky.

"The reason I committed suicide is because there was something on my mind that I just couldn't live with the burden of anymore… you see Lee… I loved you.

Everything I had, I put into training you. I wanted you to become strong because we were alike… and then I fell in love with you… but I knew nothing between us would ever happen… so I killed myself… to stop the thoughts….

I hope you can forgive me….

Gai"

Lee stood for a few minutes, staring at the note.

Gai had loved him… just like he loved Gai... But why couldn't Gai have just told him?!

Lee put the note back in the envelope, sealed it, and put it in his pocket again.

Suddenly he had an upsurge of anger. He took a few steps backward and ran straight off of the mountain.

As he fell, his life flashed before his eyes.

He was just a few feet from the ground when he reopened his eyes and screamed "Gate of Opening, release!"

Shoving his hands in front of him at the last second, he sprung from the ground.

His arms stung and his head was spinning and wandering this way and that.

And then his body shut itself down again… but this time, the dark was colder... lonelier… and scarier. He felt as if the air was tightening and then disappearing and he was being closed in.

Then he lost all the feeling in his body, slowly from the tips of his feet to the top of his head.

He felt… non-existent.

It was a feeling nearly impossible to explain.

He couldn't help but ask himself, "Am I… dead?"

After a few more minutes, his eyes started to open and he was lying under the Hokage faces once again.

He tried to move his head, but the pain was too much to bear, so he just looked as far down as his eyes would allow. He was drenched in blood!

Slowly, he lifted his arm and held it in front of his face.

Blood was gushing from his hand and drenching his arm completely.

He slowly got his senses back; none of which he wanted.

He screamed and gradually passed out to the sound of running feet.

He woke up a few hours later, back in his hospital bed.

"W- What just happened?" he asked himself as if he expected an answer.

He tried to sit up, but his entire body stung so bad, he couldn't.

He was confused. When he had landed, he had been fine, aside from a little stinging and dizziness.

He looked up toward the nearest monitor.

His pulse was 115, which was okay considering it was usually 90.

Then he looked at the chair to the right of him; the one that should have been Gai's. But it was empty. That made him mad.

Ignoring his injuries, he swung himself into an upright position.

The monitor started beeping faster, his pulse now at 130.

He tore the wires off, noticing that both his arms and his right leg were in casts and his left leg was wrapped up.

He didn't care though.

He tried desperately to run, but he fell, sending as stinging pain up his arms and legs, but he got back up, still determined to get out the door.

Suddenly a doctor came in.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he asked, "Get back in bed! You're in no condition to be up like this!"

Lee glared at him with death in his stare, "Get the fuck away from me!" he growled and kicked the doctor in the nuts.

He continued trying to run until he fell down the stairs to the first floor.

Neji was standing there.

"What'd you do?" he asked, sighing.

Lee picked himself up, "It is none of your business!" he snapped.

Then TenTen came up to them.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Lee asked, totally pissed.

"Well, we were coming to see if you were coming to Gai-sensei's funeral tomorrow." TenTen said.

"Why would I go to that son of a bitch's funeral?"

"Okay, what have you done with Lee?"

"I do not have time for this." Lee mumbled and tried to walk away, but TenTen stepped in front of him.

"Why are you out of your room?" she asked.

"I do not need to be babied all the time!" Lee growled and shoved her aside.

She hit the wall and Lee walked away (as well as he could).

The receptionist tried to stop him to, but he just flipped her off and said, "Leave me alone!"

His body stung almost as bad as after his fight with Gaara 4 years earlier, but he forced himself not to focus on the pain.

He was headed toward his house when he saw Kakashi, who came up to him and said, "I'm sorry about Gai…"

"You should not be." Lee scoffed, "He was an arrogant liar and I am glad he is gone."

"Huh?"

Lee shook his head and continued toward his house.

When he got there, he headed straight for his bed, but something caught his eye: his squad picture.

But today, he didn't focus on how young they looked or how different. He looked at the expressions.

Neji, as usual, was acting cool, but he had a little bit of a grin. TenTen had a sly smile and was giving Neji bunny ears. But it was him and Gai that he focused the most on. They were so happy and carefree, both in their nice guy poses.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He fell face first on his bed and screamed, "I wish I never met you Gai-sensei!" he was crying ferociously, "Why could you have not taken me with you?!"

He had been lying there for about an hour when he heard a knock at the door.

He picked his head up and screeched "GO AWAY!"

He heard his door being broken down.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he shrieked.

The doctor and two other Medical Ninja with a stretcher ran in.

Lee tried to roll over and attack them, but he couldn't.

They grabbed him by the arms and legs and moved him over to the stretcher.

He didn't even bother fighting back, except for biting one on the arm. He was exhausted after running so much earlier.

"Wait," he said before they carried him out, "Grab my squad picture."

"Um… okay…" the doctor said, somewhat confused, and handed it to Lee.

Lee smiled and said, "Thanks."

Then he fell asleep again.

When he woke up, he wasn't quite sure what had made him want the picture. He was supposed to be mad at Gai!

"What's wrong with me?" he mumbled.

"Bushy Brow? Is that you?" he heard a voice ask.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Lee asks, unable to get up to look.

Suddenly Naruto was standing above him, "Training incident. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your sensei's funeral?"

"That is not until tomorrow!"

"No it isn't. You've probably just been asleep all night. C'mon, get up! It's in less than half an hour!"

"Naruto, I can not get up!"

Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him up, "There, now you're up! Here's some crutches!" Naruto threw some at him.

"Why are you in such a rush?"

"We've only got 10 minutes to get to the other side of Konoha!"

With that, Naruto grabbed his arm and dragged him all the way to the other side of Konoha.

"Naruto! That hurts! We better not be late!" Lee yelled as Naruto dragged him through the village.

And they weren't! They were two minutes early! Of course, the exhausted and very much in pain, Lee collapsed as soon as they got there.

"I thought you weren't going to come to 'that son of a bitch's funeral', Lee!" TenTen said, glaring down at him

"Naruto dragged me here." Lee mumbled, walking up to Gai's casket.

He looked so calm and peaceful.

Even though the service hadn't started yet, Lee broke down crying right over Gai's casket and he fell to the ground.

The other people there, which was more than half the village, looked on in sorrow. They all felt strange seeing Lee cry like that.

Neji walked up to him and stuck his hand out, "C'mon Lee. They can't start the service with you here."

"Right..." Lee replied and hesitantly grabbed Neji's hand.

When the service ended, Lee walked back up to the casket.

Gai's face was flushed and pale, but the expression made no mistake.

Lee put his hand against Gai's face and stroked it, starting to cry again. He just couldn't stay mad at him…

Staring down at Gai's tear drenched face made him want to do the same thing Gai had, but Gai had asked him, in writing, not to do anything to himself.

Both Neji and TenTen came up to him and put a hand on his shoulders.

"C'mon Lee, we should go." TenTen said.

"No…" Lee said, his voice wavering, "He still needs me…"

"He's… he's dead… he doesn't need anyone now." Neji stated.

Lee took a deep breath, "I was the one who found him… I… I should have helped him!"

"It wouldn't have been any use. The police said that he'd been long dead, even before you got there."

"But it is all my fault he committed suicide!" Lee yelled

"No it isn't!" TenTen said.

"You did not even read his suicide note!"

"Well then why don't you let us read it?" Neji asked.

"FINE!"

Lee pulled it out of his pocket and slapped in down into Neji's hand.

He continued stroking Gai's face. It was cold.

"Wake up!" Lee mumbled. "Please..."

After a few minutes, TenTen said. "Lee… he told you not to get the wrong idea..."

"Yeah…" Neji said. "And I knew you loved him, but I never knew he loved you…"

"W-why will he not he wake up? I need him!" Lee cried and fell to the ground.

Right then, it started raining.

"See that Lee? Sensei doesn't want you crying like that." TenTen said, kneeling down next to him and putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I… I just do not understand... Why could he not have taken me with him?!"

"Because we need you sensei!" he heard a voice from behind him say.

He turned around. It was Chen, Samo, and Yun, from his team.

"W-what are you three doing here?" Lee asked.

"We liked your sensei." Yun said.

"Yeah, he was really awesome!" Samo said.

Lee smiled a little, "Yeah… he was."

Neji and TenTen smiled.

"C'mon Lee-sensei! You always said that training keeps your mind off things!" Chen said.

"I… I do not know…" Lee began.

"Lee, you need some time to think, so go before I get Neji to beat you to a bloody pulp!" TenTen said.

Lee looked over at Neji, "Would I be dead or alive?"

"Alive." Neji smirked.

"Alright… Chen! Samo! Yun! Go to the training ground! I will catch up to you in a moment!"

"Hai, Lee-sensei!" Team 14 exclaimed and headed off.

"What do mean you'll catch up to them?" TenTen asked, curiously.

Lee laughed for the first time since Gai's demise, "I just want to say goodbye to Gai first."

He turned to the casket one last time and kissed Gai. The rain stopped.

"Goodbye Gai." Lee said, "I promise I will not let you down!"

Neji and TenTen smiled as Lee walked off, faltering because of his casts.

Tsunade came up to them, "Can we close the casket now? We need to get it into the ground before dark."

"Sure." Neji said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

For the rest of the week, Lee smiled and acted as if nothing happened… but every day when there was no one in his hospital room, he'd take out a kunai and make a big slash on his arm. This happened twice a day, so at the end of the month when he got his casts taken off and got to go home, he had about 45 cuts on his arm.

Even though Gai had left him everything in his will, including his house, Lee didn't want to go yet… and he didn't feel like going to his house either.

He was going to the Curry of Life Shop.

"Maybe…" Lee mumbled to himself, "Maybe if I can somehow get the Curry of Life to Gai-sensei… maybe he'll come back to life!"

Although Lee wasn't entirely convinced his plan would work, if there was even the slightest chance of Gai coming back, he'd take it.

As he headed toward the gates, he thought back to the Chûnin Exams. The one way back when he first took it. Before the exams started, he disobeyed Gai's rules and tried to use the Lotus… then in the Forest of Death, he did use it… without permission... he wished he had at least apologized to Gai before he died... He wished he'd been more of a help and less of a burden… he whined a lot and complained a lot in early teenage years… but back then, he believed that Gai would live for ever. He never expected Gai to take his own life… especially because of love… or him.

Lee stopped right in the center of the gates.

He was almost 18 now and he had to just grow up. He thought about what he was doing…he would have to desecrate Gai's grave to even have any chance of bringing him back… and why was he doing it? He kept telling himself it was the right thing to do and that he had a good reason for it… but that was just a bunch of bullshit. He only wanted Gai back for his own stubborn and childish reasons… and if he wanted to be as good a sensei as Gai once was, he'd have to start acting like an adult...

"Hey!" he heard TenTen call from behind him, "I heard you talking to yourself earlier. You're not really going to go, are you?"

Lee turned around and smiled, "Nah. I need to face reality sooner or later. I can not bring him back, so the least I can do is keep all the promises I made him."

TenTen looked curiously at him, "And you figured that out?"

"I am not an idiot TenTen. I just needed to get a few things straightened out before I could face the facts of life."

"Okay… you're acting really weird, like you just learned a huge life lesson or something…"

"Who said I did not?" Lee laughed, "My team is waiting for me. See you later!"

Lee ran off and TenTen just stared at him like he had 3 heads.

Although Lee's team wasn't actually waiting for him, it was best TenTen thought that.

Lee wanted to visit Gai's grave, pray, and ask Gai how he could be as good at he was. He needed advice… and Gai was the only one who ever understood him well enough to do it properly.

He went into the graveyard and walked up towards Gai's grave… but someone else was there… someone Lee had never seen before.

"Hey! You there! What are you doing at my sensei's grave?!" Lee shouted.

"Hey, he used to be my sensei too you know!" The man said and turned around, "I'm Kaniroi. Who are you?"

"I am Rock Lee. Gai-sensei never mentioned having another team before."

"That retard was supposed to be mine to kill. He was the biggest loser to ever walk the face of the earth!"

"I will not let you talk badly about him; especially not at his grave!"

"Oh, and who's going to stop me? The idiotic Gai look-alike that doesn't look like he could stop an Acadamey Student? Or is 'Gai-sensei' going to rise from the dead and attack me?"

"The idiotic Gai look-alike!" Lee snapped, "Let us fight now and you shall see how strong I really am!"

"Bring it on!" Kaniroi scoffed.

Lee pulled out his leg weights and ran toward Kaniroi.

Kaniroi rolled his eyes and put his hand in front of him, as if examining his nails.

Lee disappeared and reappeared behind Kaniroi. He attempted to kick him, but Kaniroi dodged it as if he had been doing it his entire life.

"Is that the best you've got? You're more pitiful than my sensei was!" Kaniroi laughed

"You have not even seen the least of my ability!" Lee yelled and began to unwrap his hands.

"The Primary Lotus? Oh, I'm soooo scared!"

"You should be!"

He tried to move, but his body stalled.

"Dammit! Not again!" Lee mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Kaniroi asked, tauntingly, "Are you scared?"

"NO!" Lee shouted... but that was a lie. He was petrified.

Kaniroi laughed, "You're just like him. You won't give up whether you have a chance or not! Oh well… you're so pitiful, it'd just be a disgrace to Missing Nin everywhere if I fought you!"

"What did you say?!"

Kaniroi shook his head and disappeared.

Lee fell onto the ground, directly in front of Gai's grave. He started crying again.

"Why… why am I so weak?!" he yelled into the ground, ignoring the dirt he got in his mouth, "And why did you have to leave me?"

He gripped some dirt in his hand so hard, it started to bleed.

"Answer me!"

As expected, there was no answer...

"What am I doing...?" Lee muttered "I just said that I should act like an adult and here I am, crying like a baby. What is wrong with me?!"

He'd been trying so hard lately to cope with Gai's death, but he still couldn't manage to. His mind had been locked onto Gai since he'd seen him with that kunai stuck in his neck, blood gushing everywhere... He had had numerous cuts and slashes all over his head and the rest of his body. It was a gruesome sight, but it was engraved in his mind forever.

Just thinking about it made him want to throw up… yet there was one thing that consoled him... Well, it both consoled him and creeped him out, but in the back of his mind, he could still hear Gai's voice. Whether he was laughing or crying, Gai would be doing the same in his mind. It was kind of unnerving at times, but sometimes, it was just what he needed.

He missed Gai's smile, his laugh, his warm embrace, his encouraging words and forever great advice. He missed the way Gai would always be there whenever he needed him and how Gai was always honest and how they would have long talks just between them and Gai always managed to make him feel better. He missed Gai's smell… just like black licorice and wood... He missed everything about Gai, pretty much.

He wished Gai could have just told him… instead of killing himself. Sometimes it was almost too much to bear, thinking about Gai...

"Why could I not have been more of a help?!" Lee yelled into the ground, "Why did you not just tell me?!"

Lee was so upset that no more words could even escape from him. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he dug his teeth into his lip, trying not to scream.

Slowly he got up and ran off, toward Gai's house.

When he got there, he discovered the door had been fixed, which was a good thing.

He opened the door and walked inside, being careful not to slam the door as he closed it.

He took a deep breath and walked into Gai's bedroom.

There were a few blood stains on the floor, but otherwise it looked normal.

Then Lee saw something sticking out from under the bed. He walked over to it and picked it up. It was a notebook! A really dusty notebook at that... Lee blew the dust off and looked at the cover.

Gai's name was written on it, but it looked as if a 3 year-old had written it.

He opened it up and the first date was: September 4, 1979. 1979? Gai was only 2!

It read:

"My parents enrolled me into the Acadamey today. Tomorrow's my first class. My parents said if I don't act like the retard that I am, they might skip out on one of my beatings tomorrow! It's good because today's second beating was the worst they've ever given me. I have to go for the third now. I'll write again after class tomorrow!"

Lee couldn't believe his eyes. Beatings?! As in "child abuse"?! Gai actually wrote that?! He took a deep breath to calm himself down and turned the page.

"September 5, 1979,

The Acadamey is scary. All the other kids make fun of me and beat me up, but I'm okay with that, since that's what my parents do to me…. The thing that scared me was my sensei. He raped me and said he'd get his other friends for tomorrow. It really hurt…. I tried to tell my parents, but they just whipped me. I tried to tell Lord Hokage, but he won't listen. I'm scared…."

Lee dropped the notebook, which amazingly fell shut. He took a few steps backward and tripped.

He couldn't breathe.

"N…no… this is not his... It can not be!"

He got up and ran out of Gai's house. He was running so fast, he could feel the cuts on his arms opening up.

It hadn't occurred to him until now that Gai had a whole entire life before he came along… and by what he read in the notebook, it wasn't good.

"Lee-sensei!" Lee heard a voice suddenly call.

He came to a sudden stop and saw Chen in front of him. He wiped the tears from his face and said "What?"

"It's Samo and Yun! We were out training and we heard a loud noise, so we decided to check it out and we fell into a hole! They pushed me up to get you!"

"Where are they?"

"Follow me!"

"Okay!"

The whole wasn't very deep… at all. Lee jumped in, pushed Yun and Samo to the top, and back flipped out.

"You're the best Lee-sensei!" Yun said.

"No… not really…" Lee said and walked away.

He couldn't stand this any more... Things weren't going to work out... and he knew it.

Once again, in silent remorse, he walked to the top of Tsunade's head on the Hokage monument and this time, he simply stepped off.

He heard gasps of horror and cries of help and then... nothing. He was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

He slowly opened his eyes. Looking down at his hands, he was surprised to see how... small they looked. As if he was 12 again.

Suddenly a doctor came in, but she looked... strange. She wasn't wearing a medical ninja uniform!

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" come to think of it, she looked like Tsunade.

She gave him some water and Lee said, "Lord Hokage! What happened?!"

"W-what? My name is Tsunade Koichi... I'm your doctor. You've been in a coma for half a year."

"W-wait! Where am I?"

"Japan. Where do you think you are?"

"I-in Konoha! Lord Hokage, what is going on?"

"There's no such thing as Konoha... and I'm not a lord. I'm the chief of medicine... I'm gonna go get your parents."

"Parents? Since when do I have parents?"

"Since you were born... I need to go call them."

Lee sat in his hospital bed for about an hour wondering what Japan was and why Tsunade didn't remember she was Hokage and how he suddenly had parents when two people, a man and a woman, came in.

"O-oh! Lee!" the woman cried and ran to his side, "Sweetheart, I promise you, everything will be normal again soon!"

"Yeah, Champ. You'll be back to school in no time!" the man said.

Lee shook the woman off his arm and said, "Who are you?"

"W-what? Sweetie, we're your mom and dad!" the woman said.

"You... you died on an S-Rank mission when I was 4!"

"Mission? Son, what are you talking about?" his dad asked.

"I am talking about Konoha! Being shinobi! Training with Gai-sensei until he died last month; that is what I am talking about! And Lord Hokage, who claims she is merely my doctor... has everyone gone insane?!"

"Son... there's no such thing as Konoha and shinobi and... Tsunade is just your doctor." His dad said.

"And as for Gai... well, he's not dead. He's your teacher... at school, remember?" his mom asked.

"No!" Lee snapped.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Lee's parents said.

The door opened and Lee saw an extremely familiar face, "I came as soon as I heard the news, Lee." Gai said as he walked in.

Lee grinned, his eyes tearing up, ran over to Gai and gave him the world's biggest hug. The only thing different about him was that he wasn't wearing his spandex uniform.

"Gai-sensei, please tell them about Konoha and our team and-"

"Lee... I have no idea what you're talking about... I appreciate the welcome though!"

"S-sensei...?"

"What's with the look?"

Lee began to cry and jumped back into his hospital bed.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lee's mom asked, "Gai... do you have any idea what could be bothering him?"

"Well," Gai said, "I was in a coma when I was a kid too, and everything was all screwed up. I hardly knew who anyone was and people I thought I knew didn't know me or they knew me but I didn't know them and only a select few people were basically the same as I thought they were. Tell me, what was his reaction when he saw you?"

"Well," Lee's father began, "he was confused and said we died when he was four years old."

"Then, in his 'coma dream' that's probably what happened. The night of the accident... what was happening?"

Lee was listening now.

"Well, Lee was upstairs, listening to that rap music he loves so much, but it was up so loud, we couldn't hear ourselves think, none the less listen to our weekly TV show, so I asked him, I admit, rudely, to turn the music down. He did, and we didn't hear anything from his room for a while. Then we got a call from the hospital and they said he'd been hit by a car and he was unconscious."

"What's a car?" Lee suddenly asked and the adults just stared at him with blank expressions.

Suddenly Lee's dad screamed, "Oh no! My car's getting towed!"

"Gai... you wouldn't mind dropping us off at our house, would you?" Lee's mom asked, a somewhat annoyed look on her face.

"Not at all!" Gai replied, "And as for your question, Lee, you'll see in a minute."

"Okay..." Lee said and got up, "Where are my clothes?"

"Right here!" his dad said and pulled an outfit out of his bag.

Lee looked at it for a moment, wondering if the "real" him would really have worn this, but he took it, went into the bathroom, changed and followed his so called parents and Gai down the stairs. He stayed closest to Gai though, just because he didn't really believe that these people were his parents.

Stepping out the door, everything hit Lee like a strange phenomenon. There were what looked like slabs of metal moving around on wheels with people in them and a strange smoke was coming from the pipe in the back. There had to be hundreds of these moving around on extremely wide paths... wider than any of them in Konoha... and the paths were all black... like flattened gravel or something. Gai pointed to one of the metal contraptions and said, "That is a car."

"It looks bad for the environment." Lee said, staring at the hundreds of cars flying by.

"Well, technically, it is, but imagine what it'd be like if we had to walk everywhere!" Gai laughed.

"In Konoha we did."

"Really?" Gai asked as the four of them got into his car, him at the wheel, Lee in shotgun, and Lee's parents in the back, "So... tell me about Konoha."

"Okay! Well, it is one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. There is Konoha, Suna, Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri. There are smaller shinobi villages, too. The ones in those five countries have the same name as the country and then there are other villages in smaller countries, like Oto, Ame, Kusa, Taki, Yuki, and Hoshi..." Lee told Gai about everything, from the names of the countries down to all the missions they'd been on together... and although Lee could tell his "parents" didn't want him talking "nonsense" like that, Gai was listening to every word of it as if he'd seen or heard for himself.

This whole world confused Lee, none the less, and he was disappointed when they arrived at his house.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lee!" Gai said, "Best of luck!"

"Thanks!" Lee said and he waved as Gai drove off.

"We'll show you to your room, son." Lee's dad said and they led him inside, up the stairs, and down the hall two doors to the left. Lee opened the door and looked around. His room was a mess!

"We wanted to keep it just as you left it." His mom said.

"We'll leave you alone know." His dad said and Lee started to rummage through his things. He finally found something marked, "My Diary" with his name under it. He jumped onto his bed and opened it up.

"Today was the first day of 6th grade, September 5, 2007. It's a Tuesday... I have this really awesome teacher, Maito Gai. He's wicked smart and more than that, he's so hot! Of course, I knew that already, since I met him in Kindergarten, but I got my first boner today... thinking about him! This year is gonna be so much fun! It really sucks being 11 though. Mom and Dad are always making all the decisions... they don't even get me... not like Gai-sensei does. He's just so awesome. I don't even get beaten up anymore, since he wards the bullies off! Best of all, he got everyone start-of-the-year gifts, but I know mines the best! Wanna know how I know? Well, it's 2 tickets to the newest Linkin Park concert! He got me two, so I can ask a friend, but what he doesn't know is that it's him I'm asking! I'll probably ask tomorrow, since the concert is on the 22nd and I know my parents wouldn't let me go alone. Not without "adult supervision"! All (most) adults ever do is get in the way and slow you down, but not Gai-sensei! Oh, damn, I can't wait!"

'Hm...' Lee thought, 'I guess even in this world, I like Gai...'

He cleaned up his room and about two hours later, he heard his mom call him down for dinner.

It was a weird meal. Some sort of flat bread, in the shape of a circle and rolled around the edges. There was sauce and cheese spreaded on it and it was cooked to the point that the cheese was melted.

"What is this?" Lee asked.

"Pizza." His dad replied, "We have it every Sunday; don't you remember?"

"No..."

He finished his dinner, excused himself, and went back upstairs. He'd found a sketchbook that was almost empty and some pencils, so he sat at his desk and began to draw. He drew the Konoha 11 and Sasuke, and their sensei and their Genin team. Then he added the Sand Siblings, the Legendary Sannin, Iruka, Konohamaru and his gang, and the Hokage Monument in the background. He had just signed his name and the date when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in." he said, flopping on his bed.

His parents came in and sat down next to him and they were obviously surprised to see the mess gone.

"I hate clutter and mess. It annoys me too much, so I cleaned it up." Lee explained.

"Son, it seems like your entire personality has changed-" his dad began.

"Gai-sensei does not seem to think so." Lee interrupted.

"Well, we want to get to know you again." His mom said.

"Again? I may not remember, but I read my diary and you obviously did not know me before."

"Well," his dad said, "we'd be willing to-"

"Just because I went into a coma, you think you can make me think we were great friends. If that were true, you would not have been dead in Konoha-"

Lee's dad didn't let him finish. He smacked him across the face and it burnt like hell. Lee forgot that he wasn't as strong as he was in Konoha and as his nose started to bleed, he stared at his dad with tears in his eyes, "D-dad...?"

His dad got up and left and his mom sighed, "You should know better than that, Lee." And she left as well.

Lee pulled a tissue from his tissue box and plugged up his bleeding nose before taking out his diary and writing everything about Konoha and the coma and... everything.

It was ten pm when he finally fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

His parents helped him get ready for school the next day, although Lee was slightly afraid of his dad now. He caught the bus just in time and everyone stared at him. The bus driver told him to sit in seat 14, so he did, right next to a boy who looked like... Neji?

It was Neji! Without his Byakugan and Curse Seal, he looked... strange.

"Hey, Lee! So you're back?" Neji said, smiling.

"Uh, yeah. I woke up yesterday. I'm still trying to get used to everything, though." Lee replied.

"You still remember me right?"

"Of course. You are my eternal rival."

"What? Well, maybe in that dream of yours, but were best friends here in the real world!"

"What? Really?"

"Yeah!"

"If you say so..."

"Well, I see you got another bruise. You provoke your dad again?"

"Yeah. Has this happened before?"

"Has it?! Dude, it happens at least once a week!"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh..."

Neji helped Lee find his way to their classroom and Lee was relieved to see Gai there. Gai winked at him and Lee blushed, but sat down at his desk, next to Neji and TenTen.

"So, you gonna ask him?" Neji asked.

"Ask him what?" Lee asked.

"To the spring dance! Back in October, you said you would!"

"H-how many people know I like him?"

"Just me, TenTen, and Sakura in the fifth grade. So, are you?"

"Uh... I do not know if it is a good idea–"

"Oh, come _on_! I doubt he'd say no!"

"But if he says yes, it could just be out of pity!"

"Dude..."

"I do not even know what that means, but–"

"C'mon! You know you wanna ask him!"

"But-"

"Go on!"

"Fine, I will... after everyone leaves for lunch."

Lunchtime rolled around soon enough and all the other kids left.

"I can take you to the cafeteria if you don't know where it is." Gai offered.

"N-no, that is okay... I just wanted to ask you something." Lee replied as he walked up to Gai, his legs shaking and his hands sweaty.

"Oh, well ask away!"

"The dance that is coming up... this Friday... will you... go with me?"

"Oh... Lee, I... I have a workshop that night..."

Lee didn't even let him finish. He ran down the hall, into the boy's bathroom and into the nearest stall and he just cried. This day'd gone all to Hell!

He took a loose screw from the wall and began slicing his arm with it.

After a few minutes, he heard the door open and Gai said, "Lee, I know you're in here."

"Just leave me alone!"

"Can I just finish my answer?"

"Fine!"

"I said I have a workshop that night, _but _I can take a rain check and go to the dance with you, if that's what you want... unless of course, it was some kind of dare, but I doubt you'd be crying then."

Gai went over to the only closed stall and opened it, only to see Lee holding the screw to his arm.

"L-Lee... w-what have you done?" Gai said, kneeling down next to him and taking his arm in his own hands.

Lee dropped the screw and said, "I... I have been overreacting to things a lot lately... While I was in my coma... you died... and... oh, please forgive me!" Lee cried and fell into Gai's arms.

Gai pulled him into an embrace and whispered, "It's okay Lee... I understand. It's hard when you don't know what's going on and the world you knew is gone... I know that... but I'll always be here for you, okay?"

Lee nodded and said, "But... the dance... I do not think my parents would want me to go with you..."

"Well, frankly, I don't care what your parents think, but I know if they find out, they'll hit you again, although it's just a harmless date, so tell them I'm your chaperone, okay?"

"Sure... wait, how do you know about my parents hitting me?"

"You told me once, but made me promise not to let anyone know, including your parents."

"Oh... so, I guess lunch is almost over..."

"Probably, but if you're hungry, I can whip you up something in the teachers lounge."

"Okay."

As they ate, Lee said, "So... what was our relationship like... you know, here?"

"Good, I guess. I was practically your best friend. We talked about everything. What was it like in Konoha?"

"Pretty much the same, I guess... except we hung out a lot more. Like, all the time. You were my idol and I looked up to you. You'd risked your life countless times to save me, but I only got to return the favor once... and when you committed suicide–"

"Suicide? Why would I do that?"

"It is a long story..."

"That's okay; you'll tell me when you're ready!"

'Wow...' Lee thought, 'He _does _get me more than my parents... Just like the Gai-sensei I used to know... But at least this one is a better cook...'

Lee remembered back to those dumplings Gai had cooked and shuddered, but had to laugh.

"What?" Gai asked, laughing a bit himself.

"Oh, I was just... remembering something."

"Ah."

After a little while, when recess was almost over (Lee had stayed in to talk with Gai) Lee said, "So... you called the dance... a... date..."

"Well, you asked me out. If that's not a date, then I'm not sure what is!"

Lee blushed. So Gai really considered it a date... his first date with Gai! Lee decided he should say something, so he said, "Well, just since you're an adult and all, I just didn't think it would really count..."

"I don't care if you're 12 or 112 and it shouldn't matter to you either."

"Yeah..."

'Oh great...' Lee mentally slapped himself, 'Now he probably hates me and I bet this is just a pity date! Damn, I never should have listened to Neji!'

"But... why did you ask me anyway?" Gai asked, taking a sip of his coffee and sliding his reading glasses back to the top of his nose with his free hand.

"Uh... I... WHY DOES IT MATTER?!" Lee asked, blushing so bad, it look as if his head were about to explode.

Gai laughed, "Forget it. I just thought I'd ask! I mean, what would a cute kid like you want to do with someone as boring as me?"

"You are not boring!"

"Lee, I know you looked up to me in that dream of yours, but I'm not some big-shot hero. I'm just a boring old teacher."

"That may be what you think, but I _know _you're wrong!"

"Fine. The other kids are coming in... we can talk later."

"Okay..." Lee sighed and sat at his desk.

When the rest of the class came in and sat down, Gai said, "Okay, so I know I've been holding off work today to get Lee caught up, but I'm guessing you don't mind... The thing is, the law states that each teacher is to give at least one assignment unless it's the first day of school, last day of school, or a field trip, so everyone, get out your math books."

The class groaned and Lee dug into his desk for the first time. It was a mess, full of papers and doodles, pens and pencils, everywhere! He finally found his math book and followed Gai's instructions thoroughly until the end of the day.

After all the other kids left, Gai dialed Lee's home phone number.

"Hi, this is Gai... No, Lee's fine... No, he's not in trouble... Yes I'm sure... He's just staying a little late to catch up on what he missed... He's not going to be held back... No, everything's fine... Yes I'll wait... Lee's staying a little late to–... No, it's not a detention... I'm just helping him get caught up on what he missed... Yes... No... WHAT?! What kind of question is that?... I think I've made my point. Goodbye." Gai hung up, "Okay... so, Lee... explain to me exactly how I'm wrong."

"Because you always help me through things whether you know it or not, or even if I do not know it, I just know it is true! You are always there for me and... and damn it all, I can not live without you! If that is boring, then I guess I am just bad at picking friends, but you, Gai-sensei, _you_ are my best friend! And that is why it is not true!"

Gai was silent for a moment and then said, "And why should I believe that?"

Lee shuddered as he fought back tears and bit his lip as he said, "I can not _believe__**you**_!"

He ran forward and punched Gai straight in the stomach. Lee didn't realize how much power he'd put into the punch and he heard Gai desperately gasp for air. His breaths were struggled and he coughed up saliva and blood as he cried and fell to the ground. Lee gasped, putting a hand to his mouth, "I AM SO SORRY! I DID NOT MEAN TO-"

"C-call 911..." Gai choked on the words.

Lee picked up Gai's phone, and with his hands trembling, dialed the numbers 9-1-1.

The ambulance came soon and they called a taxi to take Lee home.

"There you are!" His mom nearly yelled at him when he got home, "I thought you were with your sensei! Where have you been, young man?"

"I _was_ with Gai-sensei, until he got rushed to the hospital, _mother_. I am going to bed. I do not want dinner. Give my regards to father."

Whether or not his mom said anything, he didn't pay enough attention to tell. He went into his room, slammed and locked the door and finally, flopped on his bead, face first, and cried.

He was so mad at himself! How could he do that to Gai?! His date for the dance... his one true love?! Now Gai'd probably hate him! If only he were back in Konoha, with Gai alive... The days when he was happy...

He opened his drawer on his night stand and took out something he'd discovered while cleaning his room... a gun with one bullet... and only one. He wasn't sure how it worked until that day, at library, he looked it up. Now he knew and now he was going to use it. He aimed it at his head and suddenly heard the phone ring. This startled him and instead of shooting his head, he shot himself in the right shoulder.

"AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" he howled at the excruciating pain.

Both his parents came flying into the room, "LEE!"

"AH! AHH! AHHHHHH!!!!!!" Lee cried. The pain was unbearable.

His dad grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911, just at Lee had done for Gai.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The wound was gushing blood horribly. When the doctors finally stopped the bleeding and got the bullet out, they put Lee into a room with someone else, since the other rooms were full.

Lee woke up in the hospital bed and immediately winced at the pain in his arm. He looked around the room and saw a familiar figure in the hospital bed next to his own... It was Gai!

"Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed, a little too loud for two in the morning.

Gai's eyes slowly opened and he looked in Lee's direction, "Lee..." he said, wheezing a bit, "Why are you here?"

"I... no reason. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It wasn't your parents who put you in here, was it?"

"N-no... It was me..."

"You? How?"

"I... I found a gun with a bullet in it the other day, in my room. I got so mad at myself yesterday, I tried to kill myself by shooting myself in the head, but the phone rang and it startled me, so I shot myself it the arm instead..."

"Lee... you didn't do it because of me, did you?"

Lee sighed, "Yes..."

"You know you'll have to go through extensive therapy for this..."

"I... I can not handle that!"

"It might do you some good-"

"No! It will not! If I go and tell them about Konoha, they'll put me into some insane asylum and you know what my parents would do to me if I told anyone what's been happening!"

"Then at least promise me you'll work at it."

"Fine."

After a while, as in about 18 hours, Lee said, "Does this mean no dance?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"R-really?"

"Really."

"But... my arm..."

"So you shot yourself in the arm three days before the dance. It happens. We'll have a good time, no matter what."

"I guess–"

"Lee!" Lee's dad suddenly yelled, stumbling in the door, "Whasha hell were you thinking you shtupid fuck?!"

Lee shot up, "I am sorry, father!"

His dad smacked him across the face, "You retard!"

Gai couldn't take it. He grabbed Lee's dad by the wrist and punched him square in the jaw, "Leave him alone!"

They glared at one another and Lee's father went all-out violent, beating the shit out of Gai.

"Stop it dad! Just stop it!" Lee cried.

"Shut up!" Lee's dad shouted and whacked Lee across the room.

Gai took a deep breath and tackled Lee's dad, paying him back ten fold, "What kind of father are you?"

Lee's dad finally passed out and Lee crawled over to Gai, crying.

Gai picked him up and carried him into his bed and Lee just cried into Gai's chest.

Gai wiped some blood off of Lee's cheek and Lee cried, "I am so scared, Gai!!!"

"It's okay Lee... I'm here and I'm not going to leave you... and I'm sorry, but seeing you in pain like this... I have to report your parents to the police..."

"B-but where will I go?!"

"Well, I guess there's the homeless shelter, the orphanage, or... well, I'm always an option!"

"Y-you would let me?"

"Well, sure! It's not like I have a family or anything! It's be fun!"

Lee smiled and wiped his eyes, "You are the best, sensei!"

"I'm flattered, even if your statement is untrue! Now, you get back in your bed and I'll put your dad in the hall so no one knows it was us!"

"Okay..." Lee sighed and climbed off of Gai. He hot back into his bed, with some trouble, and Gai threw his unconscious dad into the hall

Gai helped Lee get some blood off his face and Lee did the same for Gai. By the time the doctor came in, they looked basically the same, aside from a few new bruises.

The doctor turned to Gai first and checked a few things before saying, "You're fine aside from some strained breathing, but it's not as bad as it was. It's the same with your wheezing too. The only thing I'm a little worried about is that your breath seems a little short."

"Oh, well, my family has a history of that." Gai replied.  
"Okay then, so we'll just keep an eye on you for a while to see how you improve." He turned to Lee, "As for you, you're doing fine, but we need to keep an eye on that arm for a while and make sure It doesn't get infected."

Lee nodded and the doctor left.

"Well, that's good news." Gai said

"Yeah..." Lee answered.

Gai grabbed his cell phone and turned it on.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked.

"Calling 911 on your parents."

"Oh, okay..."

"Um, yes, I'd like to report a crime... well, a student of mine has been being abused by his parents... they've been beating him... we're at the Hospital... yes, his parents are here... um, actually, if you bring the papers, I'll take custody of him... Maito Gai... Rock Lee... Okay..." he hung up, "They'll be here as soon as they can."

"And I can live with you?"

"Yeah, but in about a month, they'll be coming over, so you'll have to act like my own son, okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't worry. Everything will be different now..."

"Thank you..."

"And we will have that dance..."

"Good..."

The police were there soon and by 10 that night Gai had full custody of Lee, who was fast asleep.

The next morning, they headed back off to school and Neji immediately ran up to Lee, "Dude! What the hell happened to you?!"

"I shot myself." Lee said, as if it were normal.

"What?"

"All right, settle down class!" Gai said, "Now, somehow I forgot to write today's agenda, so while I write up this afternoon's. you can just talk!"

"So are you gonna sign up for football again for next year?" Neji immediately asked Lee.

"Since when do I play football?" Lee replied.

"Since, like, ever! You were the best quarterback ever!"

"Oh. Then I guess I will rejoin."

"Cool! Hey, where you going?"

"To talk with Gai-sensei."

"Dude, I know you like him, but he needs to work."

"I know, but he and I need to talk."

"Whatever."

Lee walked up to Gai's desk and stood there a moment before Gai said, "Lee? What is it?"

"You already wrote today's agenda. I was there."

"I know."

"Why did you lie?"

"Well, first of all, I only wrote it for lunch on and second, I'm still a little sore from that fight yesterday."

"Oh! Well, I hope you feel better before the dance!"

"I'm sure I will! I recover fast! Besides, I'd never miss our second date!"

"Second?"

"The Linkin Park concert."

"Oh yeah!"

The day passed quickly and after school, Gai and Lee stopped over at Lee's house to get his things and then they headed to Gai's.

"So... what does your house look like?" Lee asked.

"You'll see!"

Suddenly they pulled up to a gate. Gai rolled down the window, put in a code to some screen and the gate opened, so they drove in.

"_This _is your _house_?!" Lee exclaimed as they drove up the driveway.

"I inherited it from my parents." Gai explained.

"Um... if you do not mind my asking, how much money do you have?!"

"A few million, but it mostly goes to the bills."

"You're a millionaire?!"

"Yeah."

"You do not act like it."

"I know. Those stupid celebrities have kind of ruined our rep. Obviously, I'm not like that. Last year I spent fifteen million on charity!"

"Really?"

"Yep. I still have about seven hundred eighty-five million. Come on, let's go in."

"Okay."

They got out of the car and Gai led Lee inside.

Lee just gaped at the front room when a man in a suit suddenly came up to them, "Welcome home Master Gai, and Master Lee, I presume."

"Yeah. I'll show him to his room." Gai said.

"Certainly not Master Gai! I will take his things and get his room organized!"

"You know, you work too much Jeeves. Just for that I'll add a hundred thousand to your paycheck for this week."

"Thank you, Master Gai! Master Lee, may I take your things?"

"Yeah, sure." Lee said and handed his stuff to Jeeves.

Jeeves headed off and Lee said, "You even have a butler?"

"He wouldn't leave! My parents died when I was ten, but he refused to leave! He gets about $200,000 a week now though, so I don't blame him!"

"So, when do we eat?"

"The chef should be ready any minute. Follow me."

Lee did and the length of the table shocked Lee.

"My parents," Gai explained, "Used to have banquets all the time. Just watch."

He stepped on a spot on the floor and the table receded into a small table with two chairs that faced one another.

"Well, sit down!" Gai said, pulling out the chair for Lee.

"Thanks." Lee said and sat down.

The meal was there in a matter of minutes.

"Let's eat!" Gai said with a grin and they dug in.

When they were done, the chef took the dirty plates away and Gai grabbed Lee's hand.

"I'll show you to the bathroom, my room, and then yours, okay?" Gai said.

"Yeah." Lee replied.

When they finally got to Lee's room, Jeeves was just coming out, "I hope you find it to your liking, Master Lee."

"I am sure I will." Lee said and he and Gai went in.

"Holy-" Lee gasped at the sight of his new room.

"I assume you're tired, so make yourself comfortable and get some rest." Gai said.

"Okay, but I have never been in a mansion... do you... think you could stay with me?"

"Of course."

After a moment, Lee said, "How did you already have a room ready?"

"Uh, well it used to belong to my six-year-old son, Hikaru. He died in a car accident last year."

"Oh... I am so sorry... I did not even know you had a son."

"Yeah. I miss him so much... he was always running around, playing and talking. Oh, he loved to talk. Now matter how bad my day had been, he could always make me feel better."

"I am sorry."

"No, I'm fine... but remembering him makes me tired. Mind if I lie down?"

"No, not at all!" Lee said and scooted over, "So since you had a son, you must be married..."

"No. I'm single. Why?"

"Oh, well, I mean, the dance... if you were married it would count as cheating!"

"This dance means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... it sure does."

"Is there a reason?"

"Well, kind of..."

"Kind of? Like?"

"Oh, wait, did I say that?! I meant _no_!"

"Lee..."

"All right, so there is a reason... well, you must know I am not straight."

"Yeah. And I know where you're going with this Lee." he smiled.

"But how could you know I love you?! Oh god..."

"Lee, I love you too."

Suddenly they kiss.

"Wow... Gai..."

"Shh... we need sleep..."

"Sleep..." Lee echoed the word and slowly nodded off.

Gai smiled as Lee snored quietly and he pulled up the blanket over the both of them.


End file.
